Hawaii 2022 Regular Session

Hawaii House Bill HB1309 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B. NO. 1309 THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
2	2
3	3	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B. NO. 1309
4	4	THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
5	5	STATE OF HAWAII
6	6
7	7	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8	8
9	9	H.B. NO.
10	10
11	11	1309
12	12
13	13	THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
14	14
15	15
16	16
17	17	STATE OF HAWAII
18	18
19	19
20	20
21	21
22	22
23	23
24	24
25	25
26	26
27	27
28	28
29	29
30	30
31	31	A BILL FOR AN ACT
32	32
33	33
34	34
35	35
36	36
37	37	RELATING TO HEALTH.
38	38
39	39
40	40
41	41
42	42
43	43	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
44	44
45	45
46	46
47	47	SECTION 1. The legislature finds that suicide is a major health concern. According to the World Health Organization, suicide claims approximately one million lives worldwide each year. The prevent suicide Hawaii task force stated in a 2018 report to the legislature that suicide was the most common cause of fatal injuries among residents in the State between 2012-2016, accounting for one-quarter of all fatal injuries. The legislature also finds that one person dies by suicide in the State every two days. Furthermore, the State's inmate suicide rate is the seventh highest in the nation, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. The legislature is concerned with the health, safety, and welfare of all of the people of the State, including inmates, military personnel, veterans, and visitors. The legislature finds that suicide prevention issues must be addressed within the State's correctional system. The purpose of this Act is to establish a suicide prevention task force to examine, evaluate, and determine methods to improve education, awareness, support services, and inmate outreach to best prevent suicides in state correctional facilities. SECTION 2. (a) There is established a suicide prevention task force to be placed within the department of health for administrative purposes. The suicide prevention task force shall examine, evaluate, and determine methods to improve education, awareness, support services, and inmate outreach to best prevent suicides in state correctional facilities. (b) The task force shall consist of the following members, who shall serve until January 1, 2026: (1) The director of health or the director's designee, who shall serve as a co-chair of the task force; (2) The director of public safety or the director's designee, who shall serve as a co-chair of the task force; (3) One member to be appointed by the governor; (4) Two members who are former inmates and have attempted suicide, to be appointed by the governor; (5) One member of the senate to be appointed by the president of the senate; (6) One member of the house of representatives to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; (7) One member from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns school of medicine's department of psychiatry, to be appointed by the dean of the school; and (8) One member from the alcohol and drug abuse division of the department of health. (c) The co-chairs of the task force shall invite the following representatives to serve as task force members: (1) The president of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Hawaii Chapter; (2) The chair of the board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Hawaii Chapter; (3) The community liaison of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Hawaii Chapter; and (4) One member to be appointed by the director or president of Mental Health America of Hawaii. (d) All appointees shall have expertise related to suicide prevention and education or awareness of suicide prevention. (e) Any vacant position on the task force shall be filled in the manner provided for the position's original appointment. (f) The initial meeting of the task force shall occur no later than thirty days after the effective date of this Act, during which the members shall elect two vice chairs, and any other necessary officers from among the appointed members. A majority of the members of the task force shall constitute a quorum to do business. (g) The task force shall meet no less than quarterly. The task force may hold additional public meetings as it deems necessary. The co-chairs, at the request of a majority of members, may request special meetings. (h) To ensure that task force meetings are time- and cost-efficient, the task force may meet virtually using virtual meeting software. (i) Members of the task force shall receive no compensation for their duties as members of the commission. No member of the task force shall be subject to section 84-17, Hawaii Revised Statutes, solely because of that member's participation on the task force. The task force shall be exempt from chapter 92, Hawaii Revised Statutes. (j) No employee of the state serving as a member of the task force shall attend meetings of the task force during work hours; provided that the employee may attend meetings of the task force during the employee's meal breaks or periods in which the employee is using compensatory time off. (k) The task force shall submit an interim report of its findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2022. The task force shall submit a final report of its findings and recommendations, which shall include a strategic plan to reduce the number of suicides in Hawaii's correctional facilities, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2026. (l) The task force shall terminate on July 1, 2026. SECTION 3. It is not the intent of the legislature for this Act to jeopardize the receipt of any federal aid. If this Act is found to be in conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition for the allocation of federal funds to the State, this Act shall be deemed void. SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2021, and shall repealed on January 1, 2026. INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
48	48
49	49	SECTION 1. The legislature finds that suicide is a major health concern. According to the World Health Organization, suicide claims approximately one million lives worldwide each year. The prevent suicide Hawaii task force stated in a 2018 report to the legislature that suicide was the most common cause of fatal injuries among residents in the State between 2012-2016, accounting for one-quarter of all fatal injuries. The legislature also finds that one person dies by suicide in the State every two days. Furthermore, the State's inmate suicide rate is the seventh highest in the nation, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. The legislature is concerned with the health, safety, and welfare of all of the people of the State, including inmates, military personnel, veterans, and visitors. The legislature finds that suicide prevention issues must be addressed within the State's correctional system.
50	50
51	51	The purpose of this Act is to establish a suicide prevention task force to examine, evaluate, and determine methods to improve education, awareness, support services, and inmate outreach to best prevent suicides in state correctional facilities.
52	52
53	53	SECTION 2. (a) There is established a suicide prevention task force to be placed within the department of health for administrative purposes. The suicide prevention task force shall examine, evaluate, and determine methods to improve education, awareness, support services, and inmate outreach to best prevent suicides in state correctional facilities.
54	54
55	55	(b) The task force shall consist of the following members, who shall serve until January 1, 2026:
56	56
57	57	(1) The director of health or the director's designee, who shall serve as a co-chair of the task force;
58	58
59	59	(2) The director of public safety or the director's designee, who shall serve as a co-chair of the task force;
60	60
61	61	(3) One member to be appointed by the governor;
62	62
63	63	(4) Two members who are former inmates and have attempted suicide, to be appointed by the governor;
64	64
65	65	(5) One member of the senate to be appointed by the president of the senate;
66	66
67	67	(6) One member of the house of representatives to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
68	68
69	69	(7) One member from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns school of medicine's department of psychiatry, to be appointed by the dean of the school; and
70	70
71	71	(8) One member from the alcohol and drug abuse division of the department of health.
72	72
73	73	(c) The co-chairs of the task force shall invite the following representatives to serve as task force members:
74	74
75	75	(1) The president of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Hawaii Chapter;
76	76
77	77	(2) The chair of the board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Hawaii Chapter;
78	78
79	79	(3) The community liaison of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Hawaii Chapter; and
80	80
81	81	(4) One member to be appointed by the director or president of Mental Health America of Hawaii.
82	82
83	83	(d) All appointees shall have expertise related to suicide prevention and education or awareness of suicide prevention.
84	84
85	85	(e) Any vacant position on the task force shall be filled in the manner provided for the position's original appointment.
86	86
87	87	(f) The initial meeting of the task force shall occur no later than thirty days after the effective date of this Act, during which the members shall elect two vice chairs, and any other necessary officers from among the appointed members. A majority of the members of the task force shall constitute a quorum to do business.
88	88
89	89	(g) The task force shall meet no less than quarterly. The task force may hold additional public meetings as it deems necessary. The co-chairs, at the request of a majority of members, may request special meetings.
90	90
91	91	(h) To ensure that task force meetings are time- and cost-efficient, the task force may meet virtually using virtual meeting software.
92	92
93	93	(i) Members of the task force shall receive no compensation for their duties as members of the commission. No member of the task force shall be subject to section 84-17, Hawaii Revised Statutes, solely because of that member's participation on the task force. The task force shall be exempt from chapter 92, Hawaii Revised Statutes.
94	94
95	95	(j) No employee of the state serving as a member of the task force shall attend meetings of the task force during work hours; provided that the employee may attend meetings of the task force during the employee's meal breaks or periods in which the employee is using compensatory time off.
96	96
97	97	(k) The task force shall submit an interim report of its findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2022. The task force shall submit a final report of its findings and recommendations, which shall include a strategic plan to reduce the number of suicides in Hawaii's correctional facilities, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2026.
98	98
99	99	(l) The task force shall terminate on July 1, 2026.
100	100
101	101	SECTION 3. It is not the intent of the legislature for this Act to jeopardize the receipt of any federal aid. If this Act is found to be in conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition for the allocation of federal funds to the State, this Act shall be deemed void.
102	102
103	103	SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2021, and shall repealed on January 1, 2026.
104	104
105	105
106	106
107	107	INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
108	108
109	109	INTRODUCED BY:
110	110
111	111	_____________________________
112	112
113	113
114	114
115	115
116	116
117	117	Report Title: Department of Health; Suicide Prevention Task Force; Corrections Description: Establishes a suicide prevention task force to examine, evaluate, and determine methods to reduce suicides within state correctional system. The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
118	118
119	119
120	120
121	121
122	122
123	123	Report Title:
124	124
125	125	Department of Health; Suicide Prevention Task Force; Corrections
126	126
127	127
128	128
129	129	Description:
130	130
131	131	Establishes a suicide prevention task force to examine, evaluate, and determine methods to reduce suicides within state correctional system.
132	132
133	133
134	134
135	135
136	136
137	137
138	138
139	139	The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.